1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to navigational or positional information systems, and more particularly, to devices, systems and methods for controlling and storing sensitive information on a global positioning system (GPS) device.
2. Description of the Related Art
GPS (Global Positioning System) devices are everywhere. These devices provide a user with such information as latitude and longitude, accurate time, heading, velocity, etc. GPS devices are particularly useful in automobiles and other vehicles. Many individuals have multiple GPS devices if they own, for instance, two cars that both have the device. Conventionally, most devices will allow a user to store information such as address points in the internal memory of the device. Some devices will allow you to store this information on removable memory, e.g., memory cards, optical media, etc. In the latter case, this can be particularly helpful because a list of addresses, for instance, will be useful to be moved from GPS device (e.g., a first vehicle) to GPS device (e.g., a second vehicle).
However, GPS related information can be quite sensitive. For instance, most persons will store their home address in the device as well as the addresses of other contacts. This is not the kind of information that a person would want other unauthorized individuals to have access to.
In another example, many persons would desire to retain information on past trips (e.g., routes) that the vehicle has made. Typically, a GPS device is capable of storing information (e.g., in internal memory or on removable memory) regarding the time and location of the vehicle during usage. This information could prove quite useful for someone who wants to track the vehicles usage, for example, an employer wanting to see where a company car was driven during a particular day, or a parent who loans their child the car and wants to see where the car was taken. Again, the challenge here is to store this information in a form that can only be accessed by designated parties (for example, by the employer not the employee, and by the parent and not the child).
Therefore, a need exists for techniques for controlling and storing sensitive information on a GPS device and only allowing access to designated parties.